More than just a brilliant marketing ploy, this remake of 1976's The Omen turns out to be a surprisingly enjoyable and satisfying dip back into the well and while David Seltzer's script (he wrote the novel and the screenplay for the original film as well as last year's pretty dismal mini-series Revelations) has a few heavy-handed moments it's saved by all-around solid acting, well staged suspense sequences, and one of the outright coolest decapitation scenes in recent memory.

Suffice it to say that if you've seen the original film there's little here that you won't know is coming, but for those of you out there who haven't you'll be sure to find a lot to enjoy here.

Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber) and wife Katherine (Julia Stiles) are expecting their first child and when complications arise and the newborn is declared dead, Robert takes up an offer from a mysterious (and none-too-sleazy) doctor to take in another newly born infant who's been born out of wedlock at the same time. Willing to lie to his wife in order to keep her happy, he agrees little knowing things will soon turn for the worse five years down the road.

At first things seem like your typical "happy family" events as the parents dote on their little Damien as dad rises up the ladder in his political job becoming the American ambassador to England. But when Damien's nanny hangs herself during his fifth birthday party events are set into motion that could spell the end for us all.

Turns out Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, who gets to practice a sinister stare quite a lot) happens to be the Anti-Christ (or, if you like, the son of Satan) who is being protected by a couple of mean rottweilers and his new nanny Mrs. Blaylock (Mia Farrow, making her return to horror for the first time since 1968's Rosemary's Baby and doing one Hell of a job of it - she's equal parts sweet and determined evil). Despite Katherine's distancing herself from what she thinks is her own flesh and blood and telling him something is not right with their son, Robert just doesn't believe - even after he's visited by a seemingly off-kilter priest (Pete Postlethwaite).

However, once deaths start to happen all around him and he's given a call by news photographer Keith Jennings (David Thewlis) regarding strange things that have been appearing in his photos, he has no choice but to believe and he sets out with Keith to uncover the mystery and to try and stop the offspring of Satan from ruling the earth.

A completely faithful remake, The Omen is more concerned with building-up tension, believable characters, and subtle moments of suspense rather than piling on the special effects or gore scenes (not to say the deaths aren't good when they occur) and it works to give the movie a sense of urgency that keeps you interested. Like I said, if you've seen the original there's not much here you're not going to see coming a mile away but in the hands of director John Moore it's a slick, briskly paced, and at times exciting effort that ends with a bang and gets by on its intriguing premise and skilled acting - plus it made the people sitting around me jump more than once, which hasn't been occurring all that much recently during my many jaunts to the theatres to see all things horror. (Chris Hartley, 6/6/06)

Directed By: John Moore.
Written By: David Seltzer.

Starring: Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow, David Thewlis.